Passport Costs 2026: Fees, Express Passport and Passports for Children

A valid passport (Reisepass) is indispensable for travel outside the EU. But what does a German passport cost in 2026? The fees are set uniformly nationwide in § 27 of the Passport Ordinance (PassV) and were last raised on 1 January 2024. In this guide we explain all current prices, when an express passport is worth it and what applies to children now that the children’s passport has been abolished.

Passport fees 2026 at a glance

Type of passport	Validity	Fee 2026
Passport (aged 24 and over)	10 years	70.00 €
Passport (under 24)	6 years	37.50 €
Express passport (48-hour)	as regular	+ 32.00 €
Passport with 48 pages	as regular	+ 22.00 €
Temporary passport	max. 1 year	26.00 €
Passport photo taken by the authority	–	+ 6.00 €

Source: § 27 (1) PassV. If you apply at a German diplomatic mission abroad, the fees for the regular passport rise by 36 €.

The standard passport: 70 euros for 10 years

Adults aged 24 and over pay 70 euros for a passport with 10 years’ validity. That equals 7 euros a year or 58 cents a month – a fair price compared with other documents.

What you need to apply:

ID card or old passport
Current biometric passport photo – since 1 May 2025 digital only (transmitted electronically to the authority by the photographer or taken directly at the office)
If your name has changed: marriage certificate or similar
Fee in cash or by debit card

Processing time: many passport authorities quote 3–6 weeks; during the holiday season it can take longer.

Express passport: a surcharge of 32 euros

Anyone who needs the passport urgently can apply for an express passport for a surcharge of 32 euros:

Processing time: as a rule a few working days after application
Total cost for adults: 70 € + 32 € = 102 euros
Total cost under 24: 37.50 € + 32 € = 69.50 euros

Important: by when the application must be made for the express passport to be ready for collection after a few working days is set by each passport authority itself – ask your citizens’ office (Bürgeramt).

Children’s passport: abolished since 2024

The former children’s passport for 13 euros no longer exists. It was abolished on 1 January 2024; children’s passports already issued remain valid until their expiry date but can no longer be extended.

Since then, children need a regular passport for travel outside the EU. Within the EU and the Schengen area, an ID card is generally enough, and one is also available for children.

Passport for children and young people: 37.50 euros

Cost: 37.50 € (all applicants under 24)
Validity: 6 years
Advantage: accepted worldwide, including for travel to the USA or Canada

Worked example: a child who gets their first passport at age 6 needs two passports by their 18th birthday – 75 € in total.

Additional costs and hidden fees

Passport photo

Since 1 May 2025, passport authorities accept only digital passport photos. You can either have the photo taken by a registered photographer, who transmits it electronically to the authority, or have it taken directly at the office – under the PassV that costs an additional 6 euros. What the photographer charges is up to the photographer. Printed photos to bring along are no longer accepted.

More pages in the passport

For frequent travellers there is the passport with 48 instead of 32 pages for a surcharge of 22 euros. Sensible if you often get visa stamps.

Temporary passport

In an absolute emergency a temporary passport can be issued for 26 euros. It is not accepted for entry by all states – the USA in particular requires an electronic passport for visa-free entry. Validity: at most 1 year, not extendable.

Tips for applying

Apply early: at least 8 weeks before the trip, 12 weeks in peak travel season.
Book an online appointment: many citizens’ offices require an appointment.
Sort out the digital passport photo: have it taken beforehand by a registered photographer or at the office (6 €).
Keep old passports: they may still contain valid visas.
Check the validity period: some countries require 6 months’ remaining validity!

International comparison: how expensive is the German passport?

Country	Fee for an adult passport
Germany	70 € (10 years)
United Kingdom	£102 for an online application, £115.50 by paper form (source: gov.uk, as of 10/2026)

Compared with Great Britain, the German passport is inexpensive. It also regularly ranks among the passports that allow travel to the most countries without a previously applied-for visa.

Legal basis: passport requirement, responsibility and validity

The legal basis is the Passport Act (PassG). Anyone who is a German citizen under the Basic Law and wants to leave Germany must, in principle, carry a valid passport under section 1 PassG. For travel within the Schengen area an identity card is enough in practice, whereas many countries outside Europe require a passport. The federal government sets the fees uniformly in the Passport Ordinance; local authorities may not deviate from them and only organise extras such as appointments or opening hours themselves.

The passport authority at your place of residence is normally responsible, that is the citizens’ office or the municipal or city administration. The passport is valid for ten years from the age of 24 and for six years before that. A passport remains the property of the Federal Republic of Germany, and the authority may withdraw it in the event of misuse or serious defects. No address is printed in the passport, so moving house does not invalidate it. A change of name, for example after marriage, is different: name and document no longer match, and you should apply for a new passport before you travel.

Applying step by step

A passport cannot be applied for online or by post, because you must appear in person when you submit the application. The procedure is similar everywhere and usually takes only a few minutes at the office if your documents are complete.

Book an appointment: Most authorities allocate appointments online or by telephone. In the holiday season it is worth booking early because free slots can become scarce.
Prepare your documents: Bring your previous passport or identity card, a digital biometric photo and, where personal status details have changed, the relevant certificates.
Submit the application: Your data is checked, the fingerprints of both index fingers are taken, and you sign digitally on a pad.
Pay the fee: The fee is due when you apply. The authority decides which payment methods are accepted, so ask beforehand whether card payment is offered.
Collect the passport: You are notified when it is ready. You can collect it yourself, or an authorised person can do so with a power of attorney and the necessary identity documents.

Check the passport for spelling mistakes in your name and date of birth straight away at collection. Corrections for an error made by the authority can usually be resolved free of charge, but it is much more tedious afterwards.

Additional rules apply to minors. Until their 18th birthday, both persons with parental responsibility must in principle consent to the application. In practice one parent attends the office with the child and the other signs a declaration of consent in advance or comes along as well. If parents have joint custody, the consent of both is required even when only one of them travels with the child. Fingerprints are only taken from the sixth birthday; younger children receive the passport without fingerprints.

The fee of 37.50 euros applies to everyone under 24, and the passport is valid for six years. Because children grow quickly and their appearance changes, the shorter period makes sense. If you are planning a long-haul trip with a small child, do not leave the application until the last minute: the waiting time is the same as for adults, and a missing photo or missing consent costs you a second appointment. The photo requirements for children are the same as for adults, although authorities allow some leeway for babies, whose eyes cannot always be open.

Loss, theft and replacement

If a passport is lost or stolen, you must report it to the passport authority without delay. In the case of theft, a report to the police is also advisable. The passport is then recorded as invalid in the search data, and if it turns up later it may no longer be used. To replace it you must submit a new application and pay the applicable fee. If you are abroad, contact the German embassy or consulate. There, a passport or, in urgent cases, a temporary passport can be issued, for which the higher fees for applications abroad apply.

If you travel often, keep a copy of the data page separately from the original, ideally also digitally in encrypted storage. That speeds up replacement but never substitutes for the document itself. Also remember that visas are usually tied to the passport number: a new passport then often means applying for the visa again or carrying the old passport as well.

Worked example: passport costs over 36 years

How much does a passport cost over a lifetime? Take someone who applies for their first own passport at 18. The passport for under-24s costs 37.50 euros and is valid for six years, that is until the 24th birthday. Three adult passports at 70 euros each follow, each valid for ten years, which takes us to age 54. In total that is 37.50 + 3 × 70 = 247.50 euros for 36 years, or about 6.90 euros a year. Even with passport photos and any appointments added, the document remains very cheap compared with other forms of identification.

The calculation looks different if express issue is chosen every time: four times 32 euros are added, 128 euros in total. That is rarely sensible and can be avoided by planning ahead. So check the expiry date and the remaining-validity rules of your destinations half a year before the passport expires; current entry requirements can be found in the travel and safety advice of the Federal Foreign Office (Auswärtiges Amt).

Conclusion: the costs you have to expect

Standard passport: 70 € (adults) / 37.50 € (under 24)
With express: +32 € surcharge
Children: regular passport for 37.50 € (the children’s passport has been abolished since 2024)

Plan your passport application in good time to avoid the expensive express surcharge. And before travelling to certain countries, check whether your passport has the required remaining validity!